Emergency Surgery due to Lap RNY

Hi, I am posting this not to scare anyone, but I see posts where people have pain, and wonder what it is, and for some reason are afraid to call their surgeon.  This is a story to tell you all not to wait if you are having pain that won't go away.... life is too precious... this happened to me about a year ago, and I am just FINE now!!  Before reading, also know that any abdominal surgery can weaken your stomach wall, and I have had five (not wls related) before this latest corrective surgery... 9/8/06 Well, I had quite the complication related to my Lap rny.......... on 8/6/06 at 7 PM I started having bad stomach pains... the same pains that I had last June. Last June when I went to the ER in Las Vegas, they took an X-Ray and sent me home with a script for Prevacid..... this time was much worse. I don't have insurance (started new job on 8/1), so was in no rush to go to hosptial because of the cost... after being in extreme pain for 8 hours, I woke my hubby up at 2 AM, and told him to call an ambulance. When I got to the the ER, they took an XRay, saw fluid or something, then had me have a CT scan with contrast. It was then that they found I had internal hernias.... and admitted me. The on call surgeon told me that surgery was NOT imminent.. After a couple of days I decided to call the surgeon that performed my Lap RNY in Vegas. He told me that it sounded like I had a partial bowel obstruction due to the hernias... he told me to contact a local Bariatric surgeon here in NC. So I did, and boy am I glad!! He came to see me, reviewed my tests, and told me that I needed surgery within a few days. Later that night after he saw me, I got worse... throwing up bright green bile, etc. He was back at the hospital performing an emergency surgery on me at 2 in the morning!!! He said that my bowel could have easily lost blood flow within hours, and muy outcome could have been really really bad!!! He did the operation Lap, so it wasn't that bad. But, I came really close to being really sick, and even dying!!!! I am not writing this to scare anyone. Just to let you folks know, that not every doctor knows what to look for with us, unless they are in the bariatric field.... I was in the hospital a few days after surgery, and out of work 2 weeks. I feel fine now, thank God. Of course not having insurance sucked.... I now owe over 30,000.00 for everything!!!! But, I am alive, and okay, and that it what counts....... lisa lap rny april 2003 341/157/130  (actually got down to 117, but gained some weight back)

thanks  for telling us ur story  im really glad ur doing fine now 

 

tina

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Thanks for posting, Lisa! You make a very good point about calling your surgeon when you are in pain, or just not feeling right. Sorry you had to go through that, and sorry about the $$$! Holly Berry

Lisa, thanks for posting this! I don't have insurance right now, since my surgery and long story, so I worry about this exact kind of thing happening to me. Last time an emergency happened to me without insurance I waited 4 days of excrutiating pain before going to the ER! I promise NOT to let that happen now that I am postop RNY no matter if I have insurance or not! I will listen to my body and do what is necessary.  I'm so glad you are still here today to tell us this story!! Thank you God!! May God continue to bless your journey, Becky

Follow up that I forgot to post... I actually filed for Medicaid since I didn't have insurance, and only have to pay about $3500.00 vs $33K........ lisa :)

Lisa - thanks so much for your post.  There have been quite a few posts lately that have been pretty scary for us pre-ops/early post-ops.  While I know that the basic information is something we need - it is almost like some posts seem to be intended only to scare us - rather than inform us.  Your preface was very clear, to the point and straightforward (no drama) and I appreciate that. I too am one that often waits too long to get medical attention when I am sick or hurt - so I will definitely take your story to heart and not allow myself to do that any longer. Thanks again, Cathy C.

WHAT IS CT SCAN WITH CONTRAST? IS IT BY ANY CHANCE SOME LIQUID STUFF YOU DRINK JUST BEFORE HAVING A CAT SCAN?.. THIS IS WHAT I HAD TO DO JUST 2 WEEKS AGO FOR SOME PAIN I WAS HAVING  TO MY LEFT JUST UNDER MY RIB CAGE, AND WENT TO THE ER,,WHATEVER THAT LIQUID STUFF I DRANK MADE MY PAIN GO AWAY,,SO I WAS JUST SENT HOME WITH SOME MEDS FOR CRAMPING..TRYING TO FIGURE IF WHAT I HAD WAS SIMILAR TO YOUR'S,,WELL THANKS A BUNCH;PLEASE LET ME KNOW..............WENDY                          Minds Are Like Parachutes-They Function Only When Open

Hi Wendy, Yes, I drank the liquid, and they also had to inject some dye through an IV....    make sure the results of your CT went to your bariatric surgeon for him/her to see.  My pain was above my belly button.  I have had pain before under y left rib case which I  believe is where our pouch is.  So that pain could have been just an upset pouch for that time... if you have more pain, call your doc!! Best of luck! lisa

Thanks for sharing your story!!  It's sooo true to not brush off pain like that! Glad you are doing good now!!!

 That sounds awful.  I have been having horrible re-occuring upper abdominal pain since the beginning of July.  Several nights I have been up ALL night with it and there have been a couple days it has lasted ALL day almost without any relief.  I have been to the ER 3 times and had several tests as a result.  More than any time in my life I have wanted to just give up because of the way I have been treated by many of the medical professionals I have seen (I get stuck in phone trees at hospitals, scheduled for tests WEEKS after being seen for BAD pain, everything gets written off as WLS related, doctors don't want to touch me with a 10 foot pole because of my WLS - and I have no surgeon to go to since he moved) but I'll keep on because I don't want to end up in a situation like yours or worse.  I am glad you are fine now - thank the Lord for that - and thanks for sharing your experience with us!